Electronic devices generate heat during operation. Thermal management refers to the ability to keep temperature-sensitive elements in an electronic device within a prescribed operating temperature.
Historically, electronic devices have been cooled by natural convection. The cases or packaging of the devices included strategically located openings (e.g., slots) that allowed warm air to escape and cooler air to be drawn in.
The advent of high performance electronic devices, such as processors, now requires more innovative thermal management. Each increase in processing speed and power generally carries a “cost” of increased heat generation such that natural convection is no longer sufficient to provide proper thermal management.
One common method of cooling electronic devices includes thermally coupling a heat sink to the package of the electronic device. A typical heat sink includes protrusions, such as fins or pins, which project from a body of the heat sink. The protrusions give the heat sink a larger surface area such that the heat sink dissipates a greater amount of thermal energy from the package into the surrounding environment. Heat sinks are fabricated from materials with high thermal conductivity in order to efficiently transfer thermal energy from the electronic device package.
The heat sinks are typically mounted to the electronic devices by using adhesives, screws, and/or bolts. Another common method uses one or more clips to compress a heat sink against an electronic device. Compressing a heat sink against an electronic device typically reduces the thermal resistance between the heat sink and the electronic device. Clips that are able to generate a larger compressive force are particularly effective because a greater compressive force reduces the thermal resistance between the heat sink and the electronic device.
There is a need for a heat sink clip, heat sink assembly and method that securely attaches a heat sink to an electronic device using a large compressive force. The clips that are presently used to fasten heat sinks to electronic device packages are typically either (i) unable to generate a sufficient compressive force between the heat sink and the electronic device; or (ii) cumbersome to utilize when securing the heat sink to the electronic device.